For coloring silver, as well as brass and copper, cover the metal with a solution of the following: 1/2 pt. of water in which dissolve, after breaking up, five cents worth of sulphureted potassium. Put a teaspoonful of this into a tin with 2 qt. of water. Polish a piece of scrap metal and dip it in the solution. If it colors the metal red, it has the correct strength. Drying will cause this to change to purple. Rub off the highlights, leaving them the natural color of the metal and apply a coat of banana-oil lacquer.
All parts of the top are of wood and they are simple to make. The handle is a piece of pine, 5-1/4 in. long, 1-1/4 in. wide and 3/4 in. thick. A handle, 3/4 in. in diameter, is formed on one end, allowing only 1-1/4 in. of the other end to remain rectangular in shape. Bore a 3/4-in. hole in this end for the top. A 1/16-in. hole is bored in the edge to enter the large hole as shown. The top can be cut from a broom handle or a round stick of hardwood.
To spin the top, take a piece of stout cord about 2 ft. long, pass one end through the 1/16-in. hole and wind it on the small part of the top in the usual way, starting at the bottom and winding upward. When the shank is covered, set the top in the 3/4-in. hole. Take hold of the handle with the left hand and the end of the cord with the right hand, give a good quick pull on the cord and the top will jump clear of the handle and spin vigorously. --Contributed by J.F. Tholl, Ypsilanti, Michigan.
A detachable pocket for holding thread when sewing is shown herewith. The dimensions may be varied to admit any number or size of spools. Each pocket is made to take a certain size spool, the end of the thread being run through the cloth front for obtaining the length for threading a needle. This will keep the thread from becoming tangled and enable it always to be readily drawn out to the required length. --Contributed by Miss L. Alberta Norrell, Augusta, Ga.
Beat up the whites of three eggs carefully and use a piece of flannel to rub it well into the leather which will become clean and lustrous. For black leathers, some lampblack may be added and the mixture applied in the same way.
When making cookies, tarts or similar pastry, the housewife often wishes for something by which to lift the baked articles from the pan. The baking tray or pan shown in the sketch not only protects the hands from burns but allows the baked articles easily to slip from its surface. The pan is made from a piece of sheet iron slightly larger than the baking space desired. Each end of the metal is cut so that a part may be turned up and into a roll to make handles for the pan.